New eligibility criteria for voluntary and community rent rebates in Moray
Voluntary and community bodies (VCOs) in Moray that lease property from the Council will now need to meet additional eligibility criteria to apply for a rent rebate.
The award of discretionary rent rebates will now be restricted to small local VCOs where the organisation has a) unrestricted reserves of no greater than £100,000 and b) an annual income no greater than £300,000.
The introduction of this criteria brings discretionary rent rebates in-line with discretionary non-domestic rates relief. Eligible VCOs will still need to show that the requested rebate matches the likely benefits of the project.
Initial guidance will also be provided to applicants to reduce the burden on officer and committee time. The new criteria does not apply to public trust property.
Cllr Bridget Mustard, Chair of Moray Council’s Corporate Committee, said: “While this update to policy impacts a small number of organisations currently, it safeguards regular reviews and brings it in-line with other types of relief available.”